


Debt Repaid

by Severa



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Drinking, FrostIron - Freeform, M/M, Oneshot, prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-15
Updated: 2014-04-15
Packaged: 2018-01-19 11:05:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1467190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Severa/pseuds/Severa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"Thor said you were dead."</i>
  <br/>
  <i>"Perhaps I am." Loki hummed. "Have you ever had an encounter with a spirit?"</i>
  <br/>
  <i>"The only spirits I enjoy are the ones coming out of a bottle." </i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Debt Repaid

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely based on a prompt by [aconitine-apothecary](http://aconitine-apothecary.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr.
> 
> _Tony has been fighting off nightmares for a week and ends up roaming around the city lat at night/early int he morning, trying to clear his head and maybe drink his problems away again. Unbeknownst to him, Loki escaped Asgard earlier that day and is running from monsters of his own._
> 
> Mild Captain America: The Winter Soldier spoilers.

The last time Loki had visited this realm, he had come to rule it.

There had fire, war, and glorious chaos carried out in his name. The city had nearly been turned to rubble and ash, but their heroes had come to save the day. Earth's mightiest warriors, aided by Asgard's crown prince, had brought Loki to kneel.

He was not beyond admitting the humiliation his experience had brought him. But it had been necessary. In order to break his bonds to the Other and to sever himself from the Tesseract, he had plotted two courses for himself: defeat and victory. The end result had been his defeat, but if Earth's heroes had failed in their endeavors victory would have served Loki well. He never played any game he wasn't likely to win. Losing or winning in the 'heroes' eyes was irrelevant. Two path had been laid out on Midgard's streets and he had claimed the one shrouded as a failure.

After that event he had not expected to return. Yet here he was, dressed in their fashion and walking their streets completely unnoticed. It was pathetic that the human race could so quickly forget his face, he thought. It had been the one that had almost ended them all. But they had their eyes on other enemies.

The Man of Iron had faced a foe with a name akin to a fruit. From what Loki could gather, the Mandarin had brought a threat of terrorism to this country. The threat's execution had been poor, however; Iron Man emerged victorious. Then the Mandarin had been swiftly forgotten, just as Loki had, when a new threat emerged.

The newest battle had been Captain America's. It would be an outright lie for Loki to deny his amusement in watching that farce unfold. SHIELD's corruption had been exposed, revealing a beast of skull and tentacles; HYDRA was a far more wicked foe than the former heroes had faced, and Loki laughed at its unveiling. T'was a wolf in a sheep's skin - a brilliantly simple place for the world's worst to lurk.

The world still reeled from this event, their flying fortresses in broken heaps upon their capital. Loki's hands had itched to further complicate those heroes lives, but he had restrained himself. Now was the time for shadows, not for glory. He had instead contented himself with observing. 

Now, he was simply content to drink.

He had been to see Jane Foster earlier in the day. He had watched her while hidden by magic, allowing him to eavesdrop in peace. Thor had apparently turned down the kingship Loki had once coveted for her, that odd little bird-like woman. She was mad to love the likes of Asgard's prince, Loki thought. He knew her to be considered intelligent, and she had a sharp edge to her tongue to match her wit. Loki liked her, though he would be loathe to admit it twice. Yet she was so enamored with Thor, and the pair of them were so disgustingly happy with one another.

It left a bitterness in his heart. In the past it had not been unusual for Thor to enjoy a woman's company, but he had never chosen one to remain at his side. Sif's existence was a non-issue - she was a warrior and shield-sister, not a lover. Thor had never turned his attention so starkly away from his brother for the weaker sex; he had never simply given up on Loki.

Yes, Loki was meant to be dead. All thought he was. Tales told of his honorable death on the sands of the dark world. Thor told sad tales of Loki sacrificing himself, earning redemption in his final moments. Perhaps Asgard had held a feast in his name, perhaps Thor had grieved (again?), but the oaf's memory of that day seemed to be fading. Thor's attentions had turned to celebrating new life instead of life lost.

Loki drank in the dim light of this mortal tavern, trying not to dwell on Jane's pregnancy.

He was not a stranger to this tavern. He would remain for hours, as he often did, claiming a small table and seat in a corner. Here he would sit and listen to the mortals' conversations as they came and went, occasionally glancing up to the television behind the bar to catch some interesting tidbit of news. If he had found a book worth, he would read it here. The owner left him alone so long as he ordered a drink upon every hour. Loki had been finishing his latest drink -- the alcohol here was nothing like Asgardian mead, sadly -- when an unexpected patron had entered, already swaying on unsteady feet.

Anthony Stark fell into a seat at the bar, his jacket's hood up and dark lenses shading his eyes. He quietly ordered a drink.

Loki only realized he had moved from his seat once his elbow touched the counter top of the bar. He leaned over towards Stark, a smirk already playing on his lips.

"I believe you owe me a drink, Stark." The words spilled from his tongue like a well-crafted lie.

Perhaps there was some merit to Midgardian alcohol.

Operating with half-a-second delay, Stark turned his attention to Loki, looking over the top of his sunglasses at him. At first there was no recognition. A silent moment passed between them as an impaired mind tried to piece together what it had heard.

Then, all the color drained from the man's face. Loki couldn't resist a wicked grin.

"I bring no ill tidings." He eased himself onto a stool, eyes glancing about to see if any of the other Avengers would come running through the door. "I have no interest in your world. These streets are yours."

Stark stared at him for a long moment, gathering his wit.

"Thor said you were dead."

"Perhaps I am." Loki hummed, fighting away any emotion that threatened to rise. "Have you ever had an encounter with a spirit?"

"The only spirits I enjoy are the ones coming out of a bottle." The hero abandoned his reservations, seeming entirely exhausted by this encounter. As the youth of this world might say, he had 'no fucks to give.' "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you."

Stark's eyes darted back and forth across the room. Counting civilians, potential casualties; noting exits as his brain formulated plans of attack and defense.

"You are without your suit." Loki interrupted. "No matter how fast you run, how quickly you attempt to alert your Avengers, I will be able to kill you before you accomplish your goal. But I have no reason to end your life. It would be in your best interest not to give me one." He motioned for the bartender to come closer. "In Asgard, offering to drink with someone is an act of camaraderie."

He could feel Stark's eyes on him, hesitant and wary. But it seemed a moment of quiet contemplation was all he needed to make his decision.

"Fuck it. Barkeep, two of your most expensive whatever."

Whichever poison Stark had been drinking previously acted in Loki's favor, it seemed. He couldn't help the slight smile that came when he tapped his glass against Tony's and partook in his Stark-bought drink.


End file.
